I'm in a business services industry, and have traditionally had
arrangements with my clients where they pay 50% up front and 50% upon
delivery of a project. I've made the move to providing some a la carte
services available via the web and have been using PayPal to do credit
card transactions.  Overall, the functionality of this has been fine,
but I now want to take the next step by offering a more robust
shopping cart, and I also want to be able to take credit card orders
over the phone and in person.  I'm finding the process of researching
all of the vendors out there to be very confusing, and I need help in
developing a short list of potential vendors that will offer me the
following:

1) The ability to (securely) accept credit cards (visa, mc, amex),
preferably via ONE vendor:
 - over the web
 - over the phone
 - in person
    and to be able to do all of these at any time of the day (I do a
lot of work at night.)

2) The ability to integrate into my own shopping cart (probably via
either CGI or Perl) I have some open source shopping carts that I'm
researching and they are primarily CGI. My web host currently is an
apache server offered through nomonthlyfees.com and it allows for CGI.
 If they have a robust cart as part of the service, that's great as
long as I can integrate the aesthetic look of my site. I don't mind if
the URL changes to another domain during the transaction process as
long as I can publish a thank you or confirmation page.

3) The ability to view my transactions and manage my account online.

4) The ability to wire funds from the merchant account to my business
checking account at my discretion, i.e. not limited to 1x a month. I
want the bank that the merchant account uses to be a real bank, like
Wells Fargo or CitiBank or whatever, not a PayPal type institution. I
want the money insured, like the FDIC...

5) The ability to access the online cart from multiple domains (I have
3 target-marketed websites)

6) I want to be able to set my own customer service policies. A friend
had a bad experience with PayPal where he had bent over backwards for
a client and done far more than what was asked, but because he
couldn't provide a shipping date or tracking number (it was a virtual
service), PayPal pulled the money from his account and refunded it to
the client when the client contacted PayPal with a complaint -- even
though the complain was unfounded and was documented as being
unfounded.  If I do have a disputed charge, I want to deal with it the
same way large companies do via a standardized procedure and in
accordance with our own published terms and conditions.

6) A nice to have would be a downloadable CSV file of transactions
that I can import into QuickBooks Pro, but that's not a necessity.

For this short list, I'd also like to know the TCO for each including
the application fee, monthly fees, and transaction fees associated
with each vendor. I am willing to pay a bit more for monthly fees
and/or transaction fees in order to keep the application fee and
transfer fees in check.

Here is some information you may need in determining the best fit.

This is for a Florida corporation with a business checking account and
a Federal ID number. The corporation was formed in OCTOBER of this
year, and has a limited credit history as it's own entity. We have
only one trade reference to date (a sub-contractor) as most expenses
are paid via American Express or company check and clients pay all
third party fees directly.

I would like to have this arrangement in place by the beginning of
January.

I hope I have provided enough information. If not, you can probably
see why I'm having trouble making a decision.

---

Request for Question Clarification by lot-ga on 14 Dec 2002 13:21 PST

Hello margi-ga

After very extensive research, I did not manage to find solutions to
all your points.

1. The credit card processing flow usually involves two vendors, the
bank and the online processing company, who are sometimes resellers
themselves.

2. The ability to apply your own customer service policy with regard
to refunds, is taken out of your control with reference to chargebacks
on credit cards where the card owner disputes the charge.
Unfortunately the case is handled by the card owner's card acquirer,
although the merchant does get the opportunity to respond, the final
decision is theirs and your bank generally honours their wishes not
the merchant. (as I have learnt to my cost)

3. Since you have been trading less than a year, I'm not sure if the
banks are approachable for a merchant account needed to process credit
cards. Also the approval process timeframe may be impacted by this
fact and the Christmas break, and begining of January may be a bit
tight.
Your own merchant account is needed to ensure when the funds are
debited from your customer's cards, the money is automatically
transferred to your bank account in 1-3 days. Your reference to
payment at the end of the month is specific to 'bureau' services who
have more relaxed application processes, and process payments on your
behalf. To minimize their risk they delay payments to the merchant.
Also bear in mind although vendors can be recommended, it is not
guaranteed they will successfully process your application by January
as your trading circumstances will influence that decision.

4. Costs were not publicised on some sites and the actual cost or
commission charges depends on volume of transactions, type of
goods/services supplied, payment options and other personal
circumstances. Though some costs can be provided from some vendors.

5. For transaction in 'person' are you specifically referring to a
physical POS swipe terminal as I could not source any 'under one roof'
vendors which did all three 'web/phone/person'.  However there are
vendors which allow processing of 'in person' and 'telephone'
transactions using a web interface (claimed to save money) if this is
an acceptable response. Acquiring a swipe terminal from another vendor
would be another option.

6. I found only 2 (maybe 3) reputable main vendors which satisfied
most points if that is a long enough list for your short list. There
are plenty of resellers with less professional with 'hard sell'
marketing messages (copious use of exclaimation marks. 'sign up!! bad
credit history? 24 hour sign up!!' which claim to do all (through
reseller / affiliate agreements I expect) that I discounted in the
evaluation as their websites lacked 'depth' and detail.

7. I assume you can host the shopping cart on different domain names
but each URL needs to be approved by the vendor, as it does when you
sell a different type of good or service than you originally
specified. So I cannot guarantee this point as no mention is made on
vendors websites.

If you are prepared to revise the original 'technical spec', then I
can post an answer to the new requirements, as I don't have enough
information to fully furnish the question in its current form.

kind regards
lot-ga

---

Clarification of Question by margi-ga on 14 Dec 2002 22:48 PST

Hello lot-ga 
 
Thank you for your response. I put notes below indexed by your answer
response number.

1. Re "The credit card processing flow"...  Yes, I understood that the
bank and the vendor were to entities. That's fine. It's just that I'd
like the online, over-the-phone and in-person vendor to be
one-and-the-same. I ran across one... Echo Merchant, however, they
won't let me do online account management or wire transfers to my
business account. I have to have them generate a check, and that makes
me nervous. I don't know what they are doing with my money during this
"float" time. Cash flow is an issue as I want to ensure I can meet
payroll and operating expenses.
 
2. Re: The ability to apply your own customer service policy... I
understand that within the context of a disputed charge, i.e. if
someone disputes it because it's an error, for example.  I'd just like
to be able to fall back on my Ts&Cs. In 20 years it's never been an
issue, but I don't want it to be one. Perhaps I'm being too careful.
My reaction is based on colleagues experiences. Whatever the industry
dictates in this regard as "industry standard" is a standard I'm
willing to deal with.


3. Re: Since you have been trading less than a year... Again, with
Echo it was OK, and I've heard it is with something offered through
Wells Fargo as well, but I haven't been able to find anythin on Wells
Fargo except within the context of QuickBooks, and that functionality
does NOT include online.

Re: timeframe... if early Jan is not possible, it's not possible. This
is a wish list item.  If I have to continue to use PayPal for 6 or 8
weeks, I can do that.  I don't want to do it prior to Jan as Jan1
starts my fiscal year.

I'd like to understand more about the difference that you identify for
"bureaus" if possible. This deliniation is a new concept for me. I
didn't get that in my early research...but then again, as I said, I
was overwhelmed.
 
4. Re: "Costs were not publicised on some sites"... that's scary. Why
would someone apply for something for which they don't know the cost? 
I'd like to have vendors on the short list that do include costs, as I
would imagine these to be the most reputable with the least to hide in
hidden costs and Ts and Cs.
 
5. Re: "For transaction in 'person' " ... I don't care if it's a POS
terminal or a web interface or a phone call with touch tone or IVR, I
just want to be able to take cards over the phone or from clients in
payment of their bill. I don't mind writing them on a receipt. It does
not have to be automated (yet) It does not have to be real-time as my
work takes time and there is usually at least a 48-hour turn-around
during which a card can be authorized/processed.

6. Re: "I found only 2 (maybe 3) reputable main vendors which
satisfied
most points if that is a long enough list for your short list." ...
Yes, I'd like my "short list" to be short... preferably 5, but if
there are only 3 that meet the criteria, then there are only three. I
need insight, not for you to pull a rabbit out of your hat ;-).  I
don't like the idea of any vendor that uses unprofessional marketing
means, including tacky calls-to-action and fake "limited time offers"
or used car salesman tactics. I prefer to find quality vendors and to
stick with them. I believe your "depth and detail" question was
answered formerly in this clarification.

7. "I assume you can host the shopping cart on different domain names"
... the DNS entry is actually identical for all of them, I use virtual
redirects for the other two sites, so if I had to use the primary
domain path I could. The problem is that the web address for these
alternate services, when not "cloaked" by the redirect, are quite
long, and I've heard some vendors have a problem with extra-long
domain names/paths. I understand that you cannot guarantee that I
could use three sites. Thank you.

Re: your last comment " If you are prepared to revise the original
'technical spec' " I'm willing to work within any legitimate
constraints that you find during the course of your research. The goal
is to come as close to my wish list as possible.

I hope that this clarification helps. I greatly appreciate your effort
to date, and look forward to your report (as long as I've answered
your questions.)

Kind regards and many thanks
margi-ga

---

Clarification of Question by margi-ga on 14 Dec 2002 22:49 PST

ah... and please pardon my typos. It's nearly 2 a.m. here and I'm
bushed ... Thanks again.

---

Request for Question Clarification by lot-ga on 16 Dec 2002 07:46 PST

Hello margi-ga

Many thanks for the clarification.

Please allow me some time to verify some points and if possible,
source a few other eligible vendors as even I think 2 (reputable)
vendors is a bit short for a short list. Though time is the essence
here, so I will post my findings in around 2 days or earlier.
By the way, Echo do seem to have a strange policy of payment, which
leads me to believe the do not actually issue you with your own
merchant account? though those words are used on their site. Also the
Echo type sites are the sort of vendors I have been discounting as I
could not ascertain their merchant account roots i.e. what (reputable)
bank they transact with, which is quite pivotal to the question.
However I can list a few of these 'breed' of sites separately from the
short list, for reference purposes maybe.

Bureau services are those similar to Kagi ( http://www.kagi.com )
Who target the merchants who cannot acquire a merchant account, and
offer less strict application processes to enable them to trade on the
internet. Payment is typically delayed by a month.
http://faq.kagi.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ViewFAQs.woa/wa/specificFAQ?FAQ=payVendors
Kagi in this particular instance are targeted towards software
merchants

kind regards
lot-ga

---

Clarification of Question by margi-ga on 16 Dec 2002 11:31 PST

Hello lot-ga 
 
Re: "Many thanks" ... many thanks to YOU!
 
Re: "Please allow me" ... 2,3,4 days is fine. The quality of the
information is much more important than the turn-around. It looks like
it'll be after Christmas before I apply, so take the time you need.
Meantime I'm doing fine with PayPal for the largest segment of my
virtual business, so no harm done in waiting until the 26th to have
the info.

Re: "By the way, Echo do seem to have a strange policy of payment" ...
Yes, that was one of my concerns.  I actually got an application from
them in the mail on Friday. It does include an application for my own
merchant account through First Regional Bank in Agoura Hills CA and
shows them as FDIC insured.

Re: "... I can list a few of these 'breed' of sites separately" ...
Yes, please do.

Re: "Kagi.... Payment is typically delayed by a month." ... That's too
long. I have a shorter cash flow cycle than that. At least for now
anyway.

SIDEBAR: Do you mind if I ask if you accept cards and if so what your
experience has been with the application process?

Thank you!
Margi

---

Request for Question Clarification by lot-ga on 16 Dec 2002 13:08 PST

Hello margi-ga

OK thanks for the clarification on the time issue.

Yes Kagi bureau sites are too long in their payment terms, I only
mentioned it as reference to a bureau.

My own merchant account and payment gateway application process
required vast amounts of information from personal, financial and
business plan details. A lengthy technical delay occured due to a new
system they were implementing for the online payment processing. I had
a particular need for automatic repeat billing and I was just waiting
for this function to be released, which took around 6 months. I'm
based in the UK, and merchant account applications are as long as your
arm especially if you are a new trader. I was also involved with the
website and marketing material for an online payment company and
configured the web application process for the 3 banks they were using
for merchant accounts and the inhouse bureau service.

I think I can only go so far with some of the research, for example
one bank has asked for turnover, industry sector etc. More sensitive
financial details are for you to discuss away from this public area.

Kind regards
lot-ga

---

Clarification of Question by margi-ga on 16 Dec 2002 14:18 PST

HI again... I'm prepared to have to fill out detailed information for
the application. I suspect that they will have to refer to my personal
credit since the corporation was created in October. (Hence, we have a
small amount of revenue attributed to the corporation.) The good news
is we are in the black/profitable. I don't mind telling you publicly
that I anticipate that we would put about $80-100K US through the
system the first year. Again, the web is only a portion of our
business as we have a traditional business that typically gets paid
with a check. I'm anticipating that 20-30% of this business will
convert to credit cards once I have a good solution in place, and that
I will drive additional sales through this new cart that as of yet
have not been tapped. The biggest issue with my current cart is that
bsinesses don't like using PayPal as it requires individuals to set up
accounts, i.e. it won't take a card that's only in a business name. It
wants it attributed to a person -- and is obviously a solution for the
consumer market at large.

Thanks again for your time. Assuming great output, I believe a tip
would be in order. Perhaps I didn't bid high enough for the amount of
time you are putting in.

Cheers
Margi-

Hello Margi

Online processing normally involves two vendors, merchant bank and the
processing company as already mentioned. Sometimes the processing
company and merchant bank have a partnership and they appear as 'one'
with one application, one fee.
I tried to only pluck out quality vendors, most deal only with online
transactions, others only with offline, so not many satisfy all your
points. Some are affiliates and resellers of services who are
distinguishable by their less corporate looking websites, and stronger
marketing pitch. A merchant account is your own 'account' that is
provided by the bank, that credits you normally within the space of
1-3 days. There are essentially 3 levels of merchant account.
1. merchant account for card holder present transactions in a bricks
and
mortar retail environment
2. telephone/fax/mail, 'card holder not present' manual transactions
and
3. Real time automated web based 'card holder not present'
transactions. - with stricter application requirements and normally
higher charges due to increased risks. As already mentioned accounts
which hold your payment and defer it 1 month are 'bureau' services,
these are targeted at merchants who cannot acquire merchant accounts
of their own. Bureau services process on your behalf, with their
trading name usuallly appearing on your client's credit card statement
next to the debit and with higher transaction charges.

When applying for an online 'card holder not present' merchant
account, banks normally look for is how many years the company have
been trading, if you have an existing 'card holder present' merchant
account, turnover, projected transactions, type of goods and services,
director details, business plan etc. The more established banks and
probably the FDIC types will normally like to see 1 years trading
history (and ask more questions) before issuing a 'card holder not
present' merchant account for online use. Though the competitive
landscape may have eroded that requirement.

The most promising 5 vendors are Authorize.net, Verisign, Skipjack,
Intellipay, and PSI Gate who appear to satisfy most points, and are
more reputable and well known than most, though perhaps Intellipay is
not quite in the same league as the others.

Authorize.net (payment gateway and merchant account provision)
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/

Summarizing your points for Authorize.Net
1) yes, multi card transactions . Transactions over the phone or in
person
can be handled by the Virtual Terminal
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/
"Authorize, process, and manage credit card transactions manually from
any computer that has an Internet connection and a Web browser."
"Experienced technical support 7 days a week 365 days a year"
2) yes 
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/weblink.php
"Linking a merchant's Web site to the Authorize.Net WebLink system is
simple. The merchant's Web site designer or developer simply inserts a
few lines of HTML code (which we provide) onto the transaction page.
Authorize.Net supports most available shopping cart software so it
integrates easily with most e-commerce solutions." Integration PDF
documents shows a choice of advanced or simple integration thank you
and confirm pages documented (needs Adobe Acrobat PDF reader to view)
http://www.authorize.net/support/guides.php 
Compatible shopping carts listed here
http://www.authorizenet.com/alliances/carts_list.php
3) yes 
Transactions
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/virtual_terminal.php
"Merchants can also check the status of transactions and run a variety
of
reports right from the Authorize.Net Merchant Interface."
Test Drive demo link:
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/testdrive.php
4) normal procedure is to credit your account, unlike bureau services.
Authorise.Net reseller list
http://www.authorize.net/reseller/directory.php
includes Wells Fargo
( http://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/products/merchant/merchant.jhtml )
5) yes, though the URLs may be subject to approval before your
merchant
account is made live, and it is in your own interests to inform
customers that they will be billed ABC company which differs from XYZ
company of the domain name, otherwise they will query the charge on
their statements.
6) the merchant has control over normal refunds, e.g. exchange of
goods and returns. Unfortunately if a chargeback is requested on a
fraudulent basis, there is nothing the merchant can do in a 'card
holder not present' situation and the cost of a fraudulant transaction
is normally borne by the merchant. Fustratingly it isn't the merchant
who makes that decision. The chargeback mechanism is in place mainly
to protect the interests of the consumer if an unauthorized
transaction has taken place. Authorize.Net however, do have mechanisms
in place to help reduce fraud
FraudScreen.Net
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/fraudscreen.php
7) no apparent downloadable CSV, though they implied that you can pass
the transaction data (on each transaction) into your own database, and
you can create your own CSV data, but is not really the method which
you are looking for.

Cost:
There is a one time set up of $299.00, the monthly access is $20.00
and each transaction is *$0.10.
*Negotiable dependant on monthly volume processed. 


Verisign (payment gateway and merchant account provision)
http://www.verisign.com/products/payment.html

Summarizing your points for Verisign
1) yes, multi card transactions . Transactions over the phone or in
person can be handled by the Verisign manager transaction terminal
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/faq/managerTransaction.html
"Transaction Terminal is used to manually submit transactions. It is
the solution of choice for merchants who primarily take orders by
phone, email, fax, or through direct customer interaction."
2) yes Verisign 'Payflow Pro' offers
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/index.html
"A robust, scalable, and fully customizable option for merchants who
need an integrated, real-time payment solution for their e-commerce
application."
Pre configured shopping carts listed here
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/partners/cartPartners.html
3) yes, try their online demo of the account area
https://www.verisign.com/cgi-bin/go.cgi?a=w139933860612000
(needs registration)
4) normal procedure is to credit your account, unlike bureau services.
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/pro/how.html
See step 5. of the transaction process "The funds for the transaction
will be transferred to your Internet merchant account."
Verisign's merchant account provider list
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/banks.html
includes Wells Fargo
( http://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/products/merchant/merchant.jhtml )
5) yes, seems to be no problem, though this was a sales persons
viewpoint. my own feeling is that URLs may be subject to approval
before your merchant account is made live. It is in your own interests
to inform customers that they will be billed ABC company which differs
from XYZ company of the domain name, otherwise they will query the
charge on their statements.
6) the merchant has control over normal refunds, e.g. exchange of
goods and returns. Unfortunately if a chargeback is requested on a
fraudulent basis, there is nothing the merchant can do in a 'card
holder not present' situation and the cost of a fraudulant transaction
is normally borne by the merchant. Verisign will be implementing a
fraud protection mechanism soon.
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/fraud/protection.html
7) yes CSV download but only for their Payflow Pro product.

Costs:
Payflow Pro product
$249 set up fee + $59.95/month 
Only supports up to 1,000 transactions/month anything over 1,000 you
will be invoiced ..10 cents per transaction
Payflow Link product
$179 setup fee + $19.95/month 
Only supports up to 500 transactions/month      
anything over 500 you will be invoiced .10 cents per transaction 

Time scale for approval in Verisign's FAQ
http://www.verisign.com/products/payflow/faq/merchant.html
"How long does it take to get an Internet merchant account?
The process can take from one day to one month, and sometimes longer.
Often the time will depend on the completeness of the information that
you provide to the acquirer. To minimize the waiting period, be sure
to provide complete information during the application process."

Verisign use your URL for the secure transaction so you need to
purchase a server certificate:
Commerce Site (which includes the Payflow Pro Service + 40 bit Digital
Certificate) - $895 - for the full year
Commerce Site Pro (which includes the Payflow Pro Service + 128 bit
Digital Certificate) - $1395 for the full year


Skipjack (payment gateway only)
http://www.skipjack.com/
http://www.skipjack.com/transactionnetwork/merchants/keyfeatures.html

Summarizing your points for skipjack.com
1) yes, multi card transactions . Transactions over the phone or in
person
can be handled by the Virtual Point of Sale
http://www.skipjack.com/transactionnetwork/merchants/applications.html
"Authorize, process, and manage credit card transactions manually from
any computer that has an Internet connection and a Web browser."
2) yes 
http://biz.skipjack.com/Page.bok?file=A.html
"StoreSense [their shopping cart software] lets you sign up and get
started immediately through an easy web interface. If you don't have
an existing merchant account, Skipjack can help get you started.
Through a secure Internet connection, you can quickly design your
catalog and purchase pages exactly the way you like, manage your
store, generate reports and view customer histories."
The demo is here:
http://biz.skipjack.com/Page.bok?file=A4.html
The feature matrix is here
http://biz.skipjack.com/Page.bok?file=A3e.html
3) yes, has web based administration
4) no merchant account facility .. coming soon
http://www.skipjack.com/contactus/index.html
5) yes, though the URLs may be subject to approval before your
merchant account is made live, and it is in your own interests to
inform customers
that they will be billed ABC company which differs from XYZ company of
the domain name, otherwise they will query the charge on their
statements.
6) the merchant has control over normal refunds, e.g. exchange of
goods and returns. Unfortunately if a chargeback is requested on a
fraudulent basis, there is nothing the merchant can do in a 'card
holder not present' situation and the cost of a fraudulant transaction
is normally borne by the merchant. Fustratingly it isn't the merchant
who makes that decision. The chargeback mechanism is in place mainly
to protect the interests of the consumer if an unauthorized
transaction has taken place.
http://www.authorize.net/solutions/fraudscreen.php
7) Yes. "StoreSense gives you the tools you need to monitor and manage
your store. You will have access to detailed tracking and reporting
and you can export to QuickBooks and other applications to integrate
your store with your current business tools."
http://biz.skipjack.com/Page.bok?file=A9.html
Charges here: (I uploaded it from email)
http://http.http-url.com/skipjackprices.zip


Intellipay (payment gateway only)
http://www.intellipay.com/index.html

http://www.intellipay.com/Docs/SmartTerminal.htm
Summarizing your points for Intellipay
1) yes, multi card transactions . Transactions over the phone or in
person
can be handled by the 'Smart Terminal'
http://www.intellipay.com/Reports/FeaturesDigest.htm
- IntelliPay's Smart Terminal let's you enter live, real-time, manual
credit
card transactions through your browser from anywhere in the world that
you can log on to Internet. Smart Terminal is available from your
secure
IntelliPay Merchant Login.
- Smart Terminal often replaces an expensive physical terminal and
printer, saving you hundreds of dollars."
2) yes 
http://www.intellipay.com/Reports/FeaturesDigest.htm
"IntelliPay's LinkSmart™ upgrade, SmartPages™, offers the merchant the
ability to control the complete look and feel of the IntelliPay
payment pages during the customer's shopping experience."
3) yes, web based administration
http://www.intellipay.com/Reports/FeaturesDigest.htm
"View today's open batch, void transactions 
View Authorize Only transactions (if any) and mark for settlement
View or download any of last 180 days of batches"
4) "IntelliPay automatically settles your daily batch for you
eliminating manual steps to force settlement." to merchant account.
http://www.intellipay.com/Reports/FeaturesDigest.htm
5) yes, well implied..
"Fully portable. Change your web host, change your merchant account,
IntelliPay goes with you."
http://www.intellipay.com/Reports/FeaturesDigest.htm
6) the merchant has control over normal refunds, e.g. exchange of
goods and returns.
7) No evidence of CSV download option.
No prices on site.

PSI gate
http://psigate.com
Summarizing your points for PSI gate
1) yes, multi card transactions depending on the merchant account.
Transactions over the phone or in person can be handled by the
'eTerminal' "eTerminal turns your desktop computer into a credit card
terminal. Manually process credit card transactions for mail, phone
order, and walk-in businesses. PSiGate's eTerminal is the online
equivalent of an POS terminal."
http://psigate.com/payment.asp
2) yes 
http://psigate.com/techsupport.asp
Integrates with most shopping carts
3) yes, web based administration
http://psigate.com/payment.asp
"OnLine Reports & eCommerce Mgmt
PSiGate handles the processing of payments from purchase to deposit.
Our merchant engine obtains the credit authorization, screens for
fraud, deposits the funds, and provides our clients tracking and
reporting of all transactions." also
http://psigate.com/reporting.asp
4) "Daily transaction settlement"
http://psigate.com/corporate.asp
5) No indication
6) Fraud control via FraudShield "fraud-checking solution to protect
your online business by minimizing the acceptance of fraudulent orders
that are likely to result in bank chargebacks and processing fees."
http://psigate.com/techsupport.asp
7) No evidence of CSV download option.
Pricing page here:
http://psigate.com/pricing.asp (ermm no prices!)


Reputable quality merchant account providers:
- Chase Merchant Sevices for online merchant accounts
http://www.chasemerchantservices.com
"Chase Merchant Services, L.L.C. is the nation's largest merchant
acquirer and provider of Internet-based solutions for merchants. Chase
Merchant Services processes over 2.5 billion transactions a year and
more than $175 billion in annual credit and debit card sales volume at
the point of sale and over the Internet."
http://www.chase.com/cm/cs?pagename=Chase/Href&urlname=corpinst/middlemarket/merchantservices/about
"Gain secure access to all your bankcard account transactions, when
you need them - using simple point and click commands. Choose from a
variety of individual reports and reporting tools. We'll help you
select the option that is best for you and your business."
http://www.chase.com/cm/cs?pagename=Chase/Href&urlname=corpinst/middlemarket/merchantservices/retail/prodservs/accountinfo
Payment processing
http://www.chase.com/cm/cs?pagename=Chase/Href&urlname=chase/sb/creditcards/processing
Chase have their own online store solution but no integrated offline
payment solution
http://www.chase.com/cm/cs?pagename=Chase/Href&urlname=chase/sb/sow/yrwebsite/featuresbenefits

Fifth Third Bank ( Member FDIC )
http://www.53.com/corporate/merchant/index.asp

- HSBC USA for merchant accounts ( Member FDIC )
http://us.hsbc.com/business/raising/merchant.asp
HSBC partner with Global Payment Solutions for the processing
http://www.globalpaymentsinc.com/ProductsAndServices/CreditProcessing.html
who are a reseller of Authorize.net and a whole suite of payment
systems
as long as your arm (though these are resold services I believe).

- Provident Bank ( Member FDIC )
http://www.providentbank.com/commercial/merchant.asp
- Accept all major credit cards
- Get fast approval
- Access funds quickly
Processed transactions are quickly credited to your Provident Bank
account so funds are accessible the next business day.
- Obtain daily sales data
Special offers:
http://www.providentbank.com/commercial/coupons_mm.asp#credit
(this seems strangely hmm er.. 'tacky' for a bank of this stature to
have this type of promotion)

- Wells Fargo for merchant accounts
http://www.wellsfargosecure.com/choosing_solution.html
How to apply:
http://www.wellsfargosecure.com/how_to_apply.html
Online payment solution:
http://www.wfsecuresource.com/wps_features.html
- Accept Major Credit Cards and Electronic Checks
- Start Selling Within Hours
- Protect Yourself With Wells Fargo's Proprietary Fraud System
- Track Your Sales With Online Reporting
   >Transaction Status
   >Dynamic Reports
   >Credits & Returns
Pricing:
http://www.wfsecuresource.com/wps_pricing.html

I requested some prices from Chase and HSBC but have received no
response. Occasionally I have found from past experience some
organisations may only give you an accurate cost based on personal
trading circumstances.

Also I found this resource for locating merchant account providers,
from small to large, not all may be at the same level of integrity,
but at least it gives you an indication of competitive costs as they
'bid' for your custom by providing the lowest quotes.
Merchant Resource Center - a HMSBLUE service
(HMSBLUE is a registered ISO/MSP of JP Morgan Chase Bank)
http://www.merchantresourcecenter.com/
The directory of acquirers here
https://www.merchantresourcecenter.com/facquirers.html

Some information about merchant accounts
http://www.intellipay.com/Reports/AboutMerchantAccounts.htm

Below are some that appear to satisfy most points but I have not
included them in the main list as they appear to be a bit 'less
professional' looking, and appear to be smaller concerns. (but that's
my gut reaction).
Innovative Gateway
http://innovativegateway.com
SurePay
http://www.surepay.com/?id=000EA9DC-67E0-1C71-A52B80B0A0400000
Securepay.com
http://www.securepay.com/card_processing_info.htm
Chargeonlinenow.com
http://www.chargeonlinenow.com
Internet Transfer
http://www.internetcharges.com
Card Service International
http://www.cardservicedirect.com
USAepay
http://www.usaepay.com/gateway.htm


Search Strategy:
Yahoo > Business and Economy > Business to Business > Financial
Services > Transaction Clearing > Credit Card Merchant Services
http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Financial_Services/Transaction_Clearing/Credit_Card_Merchant_Services/
Google Directory > Business > Financial Services > Merchant Services >
Card Processing
http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Financial_Services/Merchant_Services/Card_Processing/

The larger corporate companies tend to not make their prices public,
and prefer you to contact them and give prices on application,
depending on circumstances. One thing is apparent from this research
and from my own investigations in the past is the salesperson is
usually not technical, and is not fully aware of the specifications.
Also not all payment gateways work with all merchant banks in the
States, depending on the banking processor system they use
- Nashville
- South
- Omaha
- Vital
- Nova, 
- Global-East
- UPP
- 1st Tenn etc 
So if you decide to make individual applications for a merchant
account and payment provider, your ones of choice need to be checked
to see if they are compatible.

If you need any clarification of this answer, or any follow up on
prices for any specific vendor above for which there are no pricing
details, that you want me to find out, just let me know.

Kind regards (and seasonal wishes!)
lot-ga

Thank you Lot-ga for an in-depth look at something I found terribly
confusing. I especially appreciate how you took each of the short list
vendors and answered each of my questions. I can now plug them into a
spreadsheet analysis and begin the application process.  This is very
exciting, and I'm right on schedule.  I appreciate your hard work.
Cheers.